The invention relates to a pacifier with a shield and a teat element, wherein the teat element includes a shaft adjacent to the shield and solid in the cross-section in the region of contact with the jaw and/or the teeth, wherein a teat member adjoins the shaft in its end section which faces away from the shield so that the contour of the teat element, starting from the shaft, has a club-shape which corresponds substantially to known hollow-body teats.
A number of different pacifiers has been known, wherein a teat element is fixed to a shield. Here, these are teat elements which consist of a hollow body so that the hollow body deforms elastically when a suction is being applied by the child, with the cavity enclosed by the teat walls thus being reduced. If the baby or infant using the pacifier does not apply any suction on the hollow body, the latter will reassume its initial shape. This usual shape of hollow-body teats substantially corresponds to a club-shape, i.e. a shaft section via which the hollow-body teat is connected to the shield having at comparably small cross-section and broadening into a freely cantilevering nipple member which consequently has a comparably large cross-section.
However, the use of such pacifiers by babies and infants has the negative effect that the teeth rows of the baby or infant cannot be fully closed in the region of the shaft of the pacifier. Frequently, this causes a frontally-open bite, i.e. a mal-position of the teeth of the growing child.
In order to avoid the frontally-open bite, the prior art has proposed different solutions.
In particular, it has been known from WO 99/04745 A to provide a conventional hollow-body teat with a comparably planar transmitter body which is angled so that the transmitter body can be received between the upper and lower incisors of an infant, thus trying to substantially allow for a closing of the incisors. Due to the design of the teat as a hollow-body, however, also this angled transmitter body has to be double-walled so that a comparably high wall thickness also results in the region of the transmitter body which is planar compared to the remaining parts of the teat.
A similar solution has also been described in WO 98/02132 A, yet, here, a special teat body is provided which, in its used position, is arranged beneath the lip of the baby or the infant so as to allow for lip contact with the upper palatal area.
FR 1 463 140 A shows a pacifier which is designed to be integral with a shield and which has a shaft region solid in its cross-section. A teat element, which is likewise solid in cross-section, adjoins the plate-shaped shaft region so that there will be no suction feeling which substantially corresponds to that of a usual hollow-body teat.
A different dental-hygiene device has been known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,759 A, wherein also here a shaft solid in cross-section is provided in the region of teeth contact, with a massage part which is club-shaped and likewise solid in cross-section adjoining thereto. Moreover, a number of massage and/or cleaning elements is provided on the massage element.
Another pacifier has been known from CH 315 459 A which is completely solid in cross-section. Consequently, no suction feeling will be achieved either which corresponds to that of a hollow-body teat.
Further specific orthodontic hollow-body teats have been known, e.g. from DE 102 27 787 A, DE 43 18 693 A as well as DE 828 288 C. Yet, also here, due to the double-wall design of the hollow body, the wall thickness of the hollow-body teat is limited downwards in the region of contact with the jaw and/or teeth.
Furthermore, a specific bite device has been known from US 2004/0210252 A1 for strengthening the teeth of children and babies, wherein, here, a teat and/or bite element is fixed to a shield. Nevertheless, this is no pacifier in the conventional sense with a club-shaped teat element but a disk-shaped teat and/or bite element.
The object of the present invention resides in creating a pacifier of the above kind which can be designed to be thin in the teeth-closing region and/or in the jaw-contact region and which, at the same time, gives a suction feeling substantially corresponding to that of known hollow-body teat.
With the pacifier of the initially defined kind this is achieved in that a convex bellied teat body is provided as a teat element which forms a cavity. The measure of providing a solid-walled or single-walled shaft, i.e. a shaft which is not hollow-walled as is the case with usual hollow-body teats, allows for the wall thickness of the shaft to be reduced so that the shaft has an extremely thin material thickness in the jaw and/or teeth-contact region of the teat element. Moreover, at least one hollow, convex teat body is provided on the shaft so that the contour of a conventional hollow-body teat can be imitated, and that a suction feeling which substantially corresponds to that of conventional hollow-body teats also results for the baby or the infant using the pacifier. Here, the teat element arranged on the shaft has the same elasticity as a usual hollow-body teat.
In order to create a cavity-enclosing teat element with an elasticity which substantially corresponds to that of usual hollow-body teats, it is beneficial if the teat is substantially annular, wherein the longitudinal axis of the annular teat body is provided to be substantially perpendicular to the longitudinally extending axis of the teat element. Alternatively, it is likewise possible to design the teat body to form the cavity to be substantially closed-walled on all sides.
It is beneficial if a number of massage and/or cleaning elements is provided on the shaft so as to obtain a massage of the jaw and/or a cleaning of the primary teeth of the infant, in addition to the calming effect of the suctioning at the teat element connected to the shaft.
As regards a form-stable retention of the teat element above the shaft as well as an efficient massage and/or cleaning by means of massage and/or cleaning elements possibly arranged on the shaft, it is beneficial if the shaft is designed to be substantially plate-shaped.
As regards an efficient massage and/or cleaning of the palate and/or the teeth, it is beneficial if the massage and/or cleaning elements are arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the plate-shaped shaft. Here, it has proven to be advantageous if knob-shaped pins are provided as massage and/or cleaning elements. Alternatively, to achieve an efficient massage and/or cleaning, it is also possible to provide teeth-shaped pins as massage and/or cleaning elements.
In order to allow for a pressure equalization between the substantially closed-walled, convex or lenticular teat body after a suction force has been applied by a baby or infant, it is advantageous if a slot-shaped opening is provided in a freely cantilevering end section of the closed-walled teat body. Alternatively, a pressure equalization of the closed-walled teat body may also be achieved if, advantageously, a ventilation channel is provided which extends from the cavity of the closed-walled teat body across the shaft to the outer side of the shield.
If a longitudinal axis of the teat body is arranged to be inclined, preferably at an angle of between 30° and 60°, towards the longitudinal axis of the shaft, there results an angled teat element which is preferred by some infants.
In order to avoid the risk of a frontally open bite and, at the same time, to meet the requirements as to bite strength, it has proven to be advantageous if the wall thickness of the shaft ranges between 0.8 mm and 3 mm, preferably 1.7 mm and 2.4 mm.
In order to increase the elasticity of the shaft transversely to its longitudinal extension, it is beneficial if the shaft has at least one material tapering which runs transversely to its longitudinal extension. Alternatively to the material tapering, the shaft could also be bent or wavy.
The elasticity of conventional hollow-body teats is particularly provided if the teat element consists of silicone, latex or a thermoplastic elastomer. The shield, to the contrary, is provided with the necessary strength if it advantageously consists of a thermoplastic material, in particular polycarbonate or polypropylene.
As regards a reliable fixing of the teat element on the shield as well as a cost-effective production, it is beneficial if the shield and the teat element are designed to be an integral two-component or multi-component injection molding part.